Religion itself has caused the most deaths in the world...

I think I agree with the statement in general that religion has been the cause of many deaths (not most). But I probably see it differently to the ones making the claims. No matter how they sugar coat it I believe they're referring to Islam. In which case it's actually the hatred towards Islam that's caused many deaths. Not just war but even petty murders simply because of this hatred. The Sikh guy who was murdered because he was wearing a turban in America is just one example. The cause was they thought he was Muslim. So the hatred towards Islam being a major cause does come to religion but not because of religion itself. So to an extent I guess I agree with the statement. Interesting to know what the majority felt about the issue on radio. I'm pretty sure it boiled down to the above, "hatred"

• If not for 'religion,' people would be killing other people for other reasons too, and they certainly do.
• I think many justify their cause in the name of religion but the reasons are probably not so noble (i.e. they do it for wealth) and so religion gets a bad rep.
• Even religions that many think of as being non-violent (i.e. Buddhism) are proving to be quite violent - just look at the situation in Burma.
• And what exactly is meant by killing? What about the killing of animals for their tusks, their fur, their fins, and other body parts? What about the killing of 'pests?' People kill other organisms for various reasons all the time.
• And... what about the killing of ideas? This topic or debate is one that those who oppose religion like to have... ironically, some people enter debates to 'kill' the ideas of those who disagree.
• Regardless... I'm trying not to debate and I could care less what everyone else thinks... I think: if we were left without guidance, who knows where we'd be. I'd rather kill within the parameters of what is permissible (what, how, how much, when, where), through guidance, than just have a free-for-all world where anything goes, anything except religion that is.
  

Maulana Yasin Saheb (HA) is spoton but here is a list of wars and conflicts during the last 200-300 years which are primarily areligious or mostly nothing to do with religion.

1. Seven Years' War (Britain & France)
2. French Revolution
3. American Revolution
4. Napoleonic Wars
5. The Wars to create and preserve the British Empire (Boer War, Irish Revolution, and the Great Game with Russia would all be examples)
6. The American Civil War
7. The Crimean War
8. The Spanish-American War
9. The Great War, The War to End All Wars, or World War I (whatever you want to call it)
10. The Italian invasion of Ethiopia
11. The Spanish Civil War
12. Stalin’s invasions of Finland, the Baltic states, and Poland
13. World War II
14. The Chinese Revolution
15. The Cold War, including but not limited to the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the American intervention in Grenada, and the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan
16. The Cultural Revolution in China (If you don’t want to call this a war I’ll concede it)
17. Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge Revolution
18. The Falklands War
19. The Persian Gulf War between Iran & Iraq
20. The Persian Gulf War between the United Nations and Iraq
21. The Breakup of Yugoslavia (beginning with Slovenia).

Good to see you post your comments and I hope that we will have a fruitful dialogue.

Islam is not Christianity so there is no question of turning the other cheek and we are allowed to respond by force either offensively and defensively so let’s discuss your points.

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was from Makkah, he was harassed, tortured, boycotted and eventually had to leave because there was an assassination attempt on his life. He simply came back and retook the town from where he was exiled and his tribe were the nobleman of Makkah so he was rightfully the leader of Makkah (with or without Islam).

What you do need to consider is HOW he conquered Makkah and how he behaved with the people whom he defeated? Do bother to answer this question when he marched into Makkah with a supreme force dominating militarily. Did he kill people? Did he rape women? Did he burn houses? Did he order a bloodbath against his bitter enemies who had harassed, tortured, boycotted and exiled him and companions OR did he enter Makkah in absolute humility and forgave everyone?

Most of the other Islamic conquests which you talk about were between Islam and the Byzantine (Christian) empire and yes there were wars (absolutely agreed). Again, tell us the behaviour of the Muslims in these lands after the wars? Did they bludgeon people? Did they massacre people? Did they rape women?

The issues of FORCED conversions (by the sword) falls on its face because exclusively these lands which you mention are not only Muslim (to this day) some of them like Egypt even changed their language and adopted Islamic culture. Does it sound like forced conversion to you?

Even the centre of Byzantine (Christian) Constantinople (Istanbul) is still Muslim ad despite serious (forced) attempts by people like Ata-Turk remains Muslim!

So in summary, Jihad is part of Islam (offensive and defensive) and we make no apology for it but it is governed under strict code of conduct and regulations.

If you compare the history of Islam and Jihad (call it warfare if you want to dramatise it) and other religions, Islam standshead and shoulders above every other religion and I challenge you to compare the history of Islam (its conquests) to any other religion.

Yes there have been mistakes by Muslims but when you compare Islam to Crusades, Spanish inquisition, Hitler, Mussolini, Bosnia, Rwanda the facts are crystal clear.